We close today's picture desk live with our final tribute to Nelson Mandela on his 95th birthday as the Eiffel Tower in Paris is floodlit in the colours of the South African flag. Photograph: Pierre Andrieu/AFP/Getty Images

All the colours of the tour. While the overall leader wears yellow and the top sprinter gets a green jersey, the Dutch cycling fans have opted for patriotic orange as they wait for the Tour de France riders to arrive at the Alpe d'Huez mountain in the French Alps. Photograph: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters

Supporters of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party cheer during an election rally in Chinhoyi, 115 km (70 miles) northwest of Harare. Mugabe branded the USA as "absolutely insane" in response to America's concerns about the forthcoming July 31 election. South Africa joined Washington in criticizing what they saw as chaotic preparations for the vote. Photograph: Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters

Now this looks like fun and a great way to cool off. SSC Napoli players take part in a rafting tour on the Noce river as part of the football club's pre-season training activities in Val di Sole valley, northern Italy. Photograph: EPA

This is not a case of Chinese soldiers toppling over, but Chinese honour guards bowing upon the the arrival of the vice-president of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza Montserrat, and Chinese vice-president, Li Yuanchao, during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photograph: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

Every well-equipped German kitchen should have one of these: an Angela Merkel lemon squeezer. Available in all tacky souvenir shops in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg. Photograph: KaiI Pfaffenbach/Reuters

People hold up signs that read 'Justice' in Spanish and pictures of victims of the bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attack. The bombing of the AMIA centre killed 85 people and remains unsolved. Photograph: Victor R Caivano/AP

Two's company – Chris Froome, left, of Great Britain and Team Sky Procycling, and his team-mate Richie Porte of Australia cross the finish line together at the end of stage 18 of the 2013 Tour de France. Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

The Zaatari refugee camp near the Jordanian city of Mafraq, five miles from the Jordan-Syria border. Visiting the camp, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, met six representatives of its 115,000 population, all of whom appealed to him to create no-fly zones and set up humanitarian safe havens inside Syria. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AP

A child who has been a victim of the contaminated school lunch receives hospital treatment in the eastern Indian city of Patna. The Indian government has said it will set up an inquiry into the quality of food given to school pupils in a nationwide free meal scheme after at least 23 children died from poisoning. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Schoolchildren light candles as they pay tribute to the victims of the food poisoning. Photograph: Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images

Tour de France fans are known for their vivid approach to dressing up, but some of this year's crowd have really gone the extra mile … See more of their colourful costumes in our
gallery. Photograph: Jacky Naegelen/Reuters

Ho hum: the media circus is in town but still no news of the star attraction outside St Mary's hospital in London where the Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth. Hundreds of royal baby-watchers, journalists and photographers wait on the street opposite in anticipation. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

The peloton marks the 95th birthday of the former South African president Nelson Mandela before they begin stage 18 of the 2013 Tour de France from Gap to l'Alpe d'Huez. Photograph: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Queen is introduced to the Australian team by the captain, Michael Clarke, on her arrival at Lord's cricket ground for the second Ashes Test match.
Follow the day's action live. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Some pictures could do with a little audio accompaniment. This is a scene from the comic opera Don Pasquale which is being performed as part of the Glyndebourne festival 2013. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian

Glowfish: genetically engineered Pterophyllum Scalare fish swim in a display at the 2013 Bio Expo in Taipei, Taiwan. The expo showcases companies and institutions involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. Photograph: Pichi Chuang/Reuters

Um, no, they're not browsing Facebook … PC Kris Seward is showing David Cameron a new PC-based mobile device during a visit to look at new community police crime prevention initiatives in Cheshunt. Photograph: Pool/Reuters

These little guys know how to party: they're all dressed up to sing happy birthday to Nelson Mandela outside the Mediclinic heart hospital where the former president is being treated in Pretoria. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

The moon appears red as it's seen through smoke in the sky over a wildfire near Idyllwild in California. The blaze erupted on Monday afternoon about 100 miles east of Los Angeles in the rugged San Jacinto Mountains. Photograph: Gene Blevins/Reuters

These children in Cape Town are honouring Nelson Mandela on his birthday with a spot of planting in a public park. According to a statement made yesterday by his daughter Zindzi he is making a good recovery from the lung infection that has left him hospitalised since early June. Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA

The Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny attends a court hearing in Kirov where he has been found guilty of embezzlement. A Russian judge sentenced Navalny to five years in prison after convicting him of large-scale theft in a trial Navalny said was politically motivated. Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's biggest critics, was led away from court by law enforcement officers after the judge pronounced the sentence.
Miriam Elder reports. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

A press photographer climbs across the forest of stepladders to check his position outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital in London where the royal baby is expected to be born some time soon. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Inline skaters are outlined against the evening sky in Hanover, Germany. Hundreds of people took part in a Skate Night event last night covering a 15-mile (24km) route. Photograph: Julian Stratenschulte/Corbis

Where did you get that hat? Cricket enthusiasts queue outside the Lord's cricket ground to watch the first day of the second Test of the 2013 Ashes series between England and Australia in London. Photograph: Tom Hevezi/EPA

People protest near the residence of Rio de Janeiro's governor against the spending of public resources on events such as the World Cup and the pope's visit. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters
Police used teargas to disperse demonstrators. Photograph: Marcelo Sayao/EPA
Demonstrators looted stores and set fires as the protest turned violent. Photograph: Marcelo Sayao/EPA

Feeling hot hot hot? Myirale Johnson, five, cools off in a sprinkler at the aptly named Cool Spots Franklin Square in Milwaukee. Cool Spots operate on days when temperatures are predicted to be above 29C (84F). Photograph: Mark Felix/AP

Members of a Chinese military band in discussion before the arrival of the vice-president of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza Montserrat, and Chinese vice-president, Li Yuanchao, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Hopefully they've all agreed to be playing the same tune. Photograph: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

Today is Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday so children at the Denver primary school in Johannesburg, South Africa, are singing happy birthday in celebration and offering prayers for the former president's return to health. Photograph: Jerome Delay/AP